5 Healthy, Oil-Free Salad Dressings

November 27, 2018

Switching to a plant-based diet can improve your health, your brain, your quality of life. But with any lifestyle change, there are often challenges to hurdle when you first make the switch. For one, there’s a learning curve when it comes to re-learning how to cook with plant-based ingredients and without the less healthy ingredients we’ve come to rely on in our kitchen. Olive oil, in particular, can trip people up and many plant-based beginners report that they're unsure how to prepare foods without oil.

Why is oil not part of a whole food plant-based lifestyle? Contrary to popular belief, olive oil is not a heart healthy food, nor is it a whole food. Olive oil has monounsaturated fats, which are technically better than regular old saturated fats, but they are hardly heart healthy. Monounsaturated fats still contribute to heart disease by causing damage the inner lining of your arteries. Not to mention, oil is high in calories and low in nutrients; just two tablespoons of calorie dense oil contains 240 calories and 28 grams of fat. Finally, oil doesn’t take up much space in your stomach, unlike fiber-rich whole foods, so you can overeat easily without realizing, which can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

So yes, there are plenty of good reasons to move away from oil. That said, making the switch can lead to all sorts of questions in the kitchen, particularly how the heck do you make no oil salad dressing? The good news: there are plenty of oil-free salad dressing recipes that are quick, easy, and delicious. We’ve rounded up 5 of our favorite oil-free salad dressing recipes. Trust us, you won’t miss the oil.

1. Oil-Free GarlicTahini Dressing

With just a 5 minute prep time, thistahini dressing is rich and nutty. Use it dress up a simple salad in no time. While Chef Caroline says any leafy green will do, she personally loves to pair this raw vegan salad dressing with a salad made of equal parts arugula, spinach, and basil!

2. Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing

Missing ranch dressing now that you’re whole food plant-based? You can ditch the bottled stuff but keep your favorite flavors with this dairy-free ranch recipe. Make a batch of this cashew cream recipe, add an additional ½ cup water, 1-2 tablespoon of dill seasoning, a pinch of salt (optional) and 1-2 tsp of maple syrup or date syrup. Blend until creamy.

3. Oil-Free Sesame Lemon Dressing

This sesame lemon no oil salad dressing is truly a Renaissance sauce - it’s good with everything! Use it as a sandwich or veggie burger spread, as a dip for your favorite fresh veggies, add to your MamaSezz Southwest Quinoa, or serve with a fresh salad. Creamy and sweet, it’s also loaded with vitamin C for an immune system boost.

4. Jane Esselstyn’s 3-2-1 Dressing

You don’t need olive oil to make a delicious balsamic dressing that the whole family will enjoy. Jane Esselstyn’s 3-2-1 dressing is so easy and delicious, with no oil in sight. Just 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard, and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (or date syrup). And voila -- the easiest oil-free dressing recipe out there. Dress it up with your favorite seasonings (Italian Seasoning and Nutritional Yeast give it a nice savory twist).

5. Creamy Avocado Dressing

Avocado lovers, rejoice! Not just for topping toast, your favorite fruit can be used to make oil-free dressing, too. Spice up your favorite rice or quinoa bowl with this delicious and creamy avocado dressing recipe.

You've got this!

We hear you - going oil-free may sound daunting at first. But once you get a few oil-free recipes under your belt, you’ll soon find it’s not only easy to do at home but you’ll also start to prefer oil-free dishes over their oily counterparts.